The Road of Excess Leads to the Palace of Wisdom
by pandorabox82
Summary: Lwaxana will do her level best to ensure that at least two people will find happiness at the close of the Dominion War.


"Oh, there you are, Garak! I was about to ask Odo to have the computer locate your whereabouts on the station." Lwaxana gave the Cardassian a wide grin as she reached out and wrapped her arm around his forearm. "I need your services."

He gave her a patently false smile, one she tried to ignore as she took a seat in the free chair at the table, thoroughly ignoring the bemused Doctor Bashir. "Madame Ambassador, just what would those services be? You know as well as I do that I no longer run my little shop here, since my main concern is the rebuilding of Cardassia Prime."

"Yes, yes, I know. We had the wonderful debate back at Federation Headquarters a few months ago. But someone of your talent doesn't just lose those skills overnight." She batted her eyelids at him, deliberately pushing her cleavage a little closer to his face. A wicked little smirk curved her lips upwards as she tuned into Bashir's thoughts, the jealousy practically leaping from his mind. "Now, I happened to bring with me a fine selection of Andorian silks, which I would love for you to fashion into a gown worthy of a daughter of the Fifth House."

Garak shot a look at Bashir, and the undercurrent there was something lovely to behold. "Fine, I will take a look," he finally spit out, and she grinned once more as she stood, holding out her elbow expectantly. With a frustrated sigh, the Cardassian stood and slipped his arm through hers, letting her lead them away from the good doctor.

The walk to her quarters didn't take long, and they were both quiet, even though for vastly different reasons. Finally, Lwaxana stopped in front of her door, opening it and then beckoning Garak inside. Still, his thoughts were in riotous turmoil, and she knew that she would have to make things quick, since he really did deserve to spend time with the person he loved. Just as she was about to show him the silks, however, her vidscreen chimed, alerting her to a call. "I'm so sorry, I need to take this, Mr. Garak. The silks are laying on my bed, if you'd like to inspect them."

Garak gave her a curt nod before leaving the room. Turning to the screen, she answered the call and was surprised to see Mr. Homm there. Though their telepathic link didn't work quite as well as when they were physically in the same room, she could still read his face enough to know that there was some underlying tension in her home.

"What is it, Mr. Homm?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. He lifted up Ian, and Lwaxana felt her heart lurch a little as she watched her son cry so hard he couldn't even speak. "And you've tried everything?" Her porter nodded, and she pursed her lips together tightly as she tried to keep from crying herself. "I don't know what to do, and there's no way to get home quickly. Call one of the healers, and see if they can find him some relief." He gave her another nod before cutting the link, and she screwed her eyes closed, using the slight pain to distract herself from her tears.

"Perhaps you should go home to Betazed."

She turned slightly to look at Garak, blinking slowly. "It's a week long journey, if I could catch a ship at the right time. My transportation is already arranged for three days from now. There's nothing I can do, except commission you to make me a gown from the fabric I bought, and try not to focus on Ian."

Their eyes met, and she didn't have to read his thoughts to know that he was commiserating with her on some level. "Then I shall have to have fingers faster than warp ten." His head dipped a little as he regarded her. "I don't have quarters on the station any longer, since I have a ship at my disposal."

"Then stay here with me. It's not like anything will happen."

"And just how do you know that, Madam?"

A light trill of laughter escaped her lips as she shook her head. "Well, for one thing, I can read your thoughts and see that there is positively no spark of attraction for me in your body. Which is quite the shame, since you have no idea what you're missing." She gave him another brilliant grin, and arched one eyebrow when she got the distinct impression of just who was sparking his attraction. "Also, you'll be spending the night on my sofa. There's no one I want to sleep with these days."

He regarded her closely, and she met his gaze steadily, trying not to give anything away. There were both things that they couldn't admit, even to themselves, and he finally seemed to accept that that was all she was going to give him. "As long as we can turn the heat up, I should be fine with that."

"Of course we can!" The wicked little grin she gave him caused him to pause, and he blinked slowly, as if schooling his features so as not to reveal his discomfort. "I would never want you to feel put out. And besides, I adore sleeping nude."

Garak swallowed thickly, and Lwaxana laughed again, relieved to have something to take her mind off the fact that her son was ill and there was no way that she could get to him quickly. She must not have been able to mask exactly how she was feeling, her eyes always were the hardest part of her to control, as a soft look of understanding flitted over Garak's face before he could cover it up. "Well, that's perfect, since I prefer to sleep that way as well. I won't even need a sheet."

"All the better," she retorted, glad for the back and forth he was providing. He gave her a secretive smile, one that told her he understood completely. "Now, since we have that all squared away, I am going to get caught up on my official correspondence and you can go back to mooning over your precious little doctor."

"I do not moon over anyone, my dear Madam Ambassador. Though I do find myself immensely gratified to be here once more, in the company of someone I consider a dear friend."

She gave him a small nod before taking a deep breath. "I'd imagine so, Elim. Though there is always the possibility that things could be more than that. You should chase after that bit of happiness with every fiber in your being. God knows that we could all use some happiness in our lives after what we've endured recently."

By the end of her words, her voice had dropped to a whisper, and she was gazing down at her hands, thinking about all the things she had done throughout the Dominion War to survive. Lwaxana jumped a little when she felt a cold hand close around her shoulder, and she looked up into Elim Garak's blue eyes, feeling for all the world like she was drowning. Having that same feeling mirrored back at her in his expression overwhelmed her, and she blinked rapidly as tears began to fall down her cheeks as she closed her hand around his.

"We were both scarred by the Dominion and what they left behind." She nodded as she tried to quell the tears that were now falling ever faster. "You'd think that our experiences would have left us a little wiser, but I feel even more adrift than ever. Cardassia is not how I remember her, and I don't know if the image in my mind's eye is what I want Cardassia to be now, or just an idealized future that could never be."

Those words sounded like they were grudgingly pulled from the depths of his soul, and she realized how sacred they were. Glancing up at him, she let him see everything in her heart as well, unable to find the right words to give him. He nodded a little before closing his eyes, as if unable to see any more sorrow. "That which we most want sometimes always eludes us. But if you want to hear a secret, one that our dear doctor might not like me divulging, lean in a little closer." There was a hairsbreadth of a pause before he came into her personal space, his breathing soft and sibilant in her ear. "It would be worth your while to pursue him. He's lonely, and going through the motions with Dax. Go after what you want."

Garak hummed lowly under his breath, and she couldn't help but read the excitement in his thoughts. A pleased smile quickly skipped across her face, knowing that she had maybe pushed them together. "I'll have to keep that in mind, Lwaxana."

The use of her proper name told her that he was taking her seriously, and she sighed a little as she got up and moved into her bedroom, allowing him to have some privacy. Quickly, she rolled up the bolts of fabric and set them in the chair next to her bed before flopping down on it and staring at the ceiling. As soon as she heard the door to her rooms close, Lwaxana gave in to the tears she'd been holding in, the great sobs wracking her body as she turned onto her side and curled up in a tight ball, wishing for all the world that she was home, holding her son.

The next thing she knew, the chime on her door was ringing incessantly, and she sat up with a start as she called out "Come in!"

"Took you long enough, Madam Ambassador," a slightly tipsy Doctor Bashir said as he stumbled into her rooms. From the shuffle of feet, she knew that Garak was with him, and she stumbled out into the main area, raking tired, irritated, eyes up and down their inebriated forms.

"I happened to be sleeping away the excess of my grief. It seems like you chose the excess of drink," she tartly replied as she swept over to the replicator and ordered herself a cup of tea. Sipping at it, she made her way over to the sofa and took a seat, keeping her bearing every bit as regal as she was.

Garak gave her a pained look as he gestured with his head toward Bashir. "Hopefully, the wisdom we gleaned from a night of drinking will stick with us come the morning. Julian was kind enough to guide me home, he won't be staying."

The doctor nodded sheepishly as he plopped down onto the sofa next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Um, you are comfortable to rest on, Madam Ambassador. I can see why Garak would want to spend the night here. Perhaps I don't want to head back to my quarters after all," he slurred, and Lwaxana glared at Garak, trying to impress upon him the fact that he alone was responsible for Julian's behavior.

"Be that as it may, Julian, I rather think that Lwaxana would like a little bit of privacy tonight. We'll meet for lunch tomorrow, once we've worked off our hangovers."

Doctor Bashir pouted at her, and she shook her head, making certain to keep her features as neutral as possible so as not to encourage him. "Fine. Just make certain that she keeps her hands off you, Elim. You belong to me."

The doctor got up and weaved over to the door, somehow making it out of the room and they listened to him clomp down the corridor. "You can go after him if you wish," she replied, still not ready to let Garak off the hook. The Cardassian shook his head a little before replicating himself a cup of tea and taking a seat on the opposite end of the sofa.

"I'll see him in the morning. And you are not to tell anyone about what he said while drunk." It seemed as if all vestiges of drunkenness had slipped from his body, and she regarded him thoughtfully over the rim of her cup. "Alcohol affects us differently. I've used it to my advantage numerous times over the years, since you learn the most interesting things when people's inhibitions are lowered."

"And what did you learn tonight?" she asked before taking another sip of tea.

"That you are most correct in your beliefs. There are still feelings there."

"What are you going to do about it? Pine after him?"

Garak shrugged a little, mimicking Doctor Bashir to near perfection. "There are worse things that I could do. And yet…"

"Yes?"

"My road leads to his palace."

A knowing smile curved her lips upwards as she nodded. "I should rather think that it is about time you acknowledge that part of your soul. Though I am a bit surprised that you are so familiar with Terran poetry."

"I had some time on my hands when we were both there. I took in a concert where the band played a piece called "The Tyger.". From there, it was quite simple to track down the author."

She nodded and yawned deeply before cracking her neck a little. "I cannot believe that I'm still this exhausted after sleeping the entire day and most of the night away."

"Well, you are under immense strain, which can affect how you feel. Finish your tea and head back to bed, I'll be trying to sleep myself, shortly."

Lwaxana quickly read his thoughts, seeing that there was nothing malicious in his words. "Sleep can be a wonderful thing," she murmured as she took another sip of her tea. "Feel free to turn up the environmental controls, Garak. Once I'm asleep, I won't know the difference."

Setting aside her cup, Lwaxana sighed and stood, stretching a little before padding back into her bedroom. Stripping off her dress, she left it in a pool on the floor before sliding beneath the silk sheets and pulling it up close around her shoulders as she burrowed into the mattress and let the tendrils of sleep overcome her once more.

In the morning, Lwaxana awoke with a start, wondering what had thrust her out of her slumber. Looking around her room, she noticed that the bolts of fabric were gone and in their place was her dress, neatly folded and with a Betazed iris resting atop it. A tender smile lit up her face as she kicked off the covers and made her way over to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

When that was done, she pulled on fresh clothes and picked up her flower, tucking it behind her ear before heading out to the promenade to get breakfast. As she passed by the replimat, she glanced over at Garak's old shop, and let out a breath of a laugh to see that the lights were on, which indicated the man was hard at work.

After she'd ordered breakfast, she took a seat so that she could watch Garak's store. As the minutes dragged by, she imagined the outfit he was creating for her, knowing that it would be more than up to her more flamboyant standards, with his own special twist. Just as she was about to go and check on his progress, she noticed a no longer quite so drunk Doctor Bashir ambling over to the shop. A delicious feeling of euphoria swept over her when she realized the intent of his visit, and she settled back in her chair, wondering what other things she could do to occupy her time until she could get home to Ian.


End file.
